Cupid got fat(ter) in Oklahoma this February

And here's a Top 10 List to prove it

The shortest month of the year was long on amazing dining opportunities across Oklahoma. Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day and the Lunar New Year inspired plenty of flavor as did the culinary creative’s behind our ongoing dining renaissance.

Day No. 1 of month No. 2 I was at Birdie’s by Chef Kevin Lee, who had a great Febraury on screen and off screen. That visit made an impact on the list

Then came the French two-step between Kurt Fleischfresser, the 405 diningcape’s culinary Big Kahuna since the late 1980s, and Jeff Chanchaleune, who paid subscribers will remember I chose as Chef of the Year for 2023.

Chef Jeff has been the hottest thing in chefs clogs since 2019, but Kahuna’s been Top Chef Local for more than cooking skills. Take for instance when Jeff pushed out an eye-catching and citrus-cured Ora King Salmon Crudo to the oohs and ahhs of the camera-feeding crowd. Just before my food-porn-seeking camera went click, Kurt photo-bombed the boom-chicka-bow-wow on a plate. He got game.

The chefs led Ma Der’s kitchen through two sold out seatings on Feb. 26, each course building momentum on the other and when the dust cleared my favorite dish for February emer

ged – and neither Jeff nor Kurt could take credit for it.

Enough already, here are the best 10 things I had in February, which includes two count ‘em two desserts.

1.      Black Cod Cabbage Rolls, Ma Der Lao Kitchen

When I asked Jeff whether he or Kurt came up with the Black Cod Cabbage Rolls, he said “that one is kind of a team effort from the kitchen staff.” Then I heard chef Calvin Pravongviengkham say he’d learned the dish, or something similar, at a previous restaurant. Kurt claimed it wasn’t pretty enough, but the flavor was gorgeous. So gorgeous I chose it over Duck Confit Fritters that showed real peace-negotiating potential. NomNomNomNomNom.

2.       Beef Tartare, Birdie’s by Chef Kevin Lee

Clearly the most delicious thing to happen in chef Kevin Lee’s recently converted dining room was the watch party for the episode of Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions in which he took down former champion Brooke Williamson. But a couple of weeks before that, he introduced his version of Beef Tartare from Waqyu with ginger and garlic under a fresh egg yolk.

3.       Grilled Oysters, Sedalia’s Oyster and Seafood

Since their restaurant was named to Bon Appetit’s Best 24 New Restaurants in America, Sedalia’s spouse/owners Zack and Silvana Walters have spread the wealth of their newfound fame in a number of directions around the 405 diningscape. On Fat Tuesday, Power House was the venue, and Bayou cuisine was on the menu. NomNomNomNom

4.       Lamb T-Bones, Rococo

Chef/owner Bruce Rinehart asked chef de cuisine David Sullivan to develop a lamb entrée, and this stunning plate of food was the result. The lamb is seared in a skillet, roasted and served with lentils and roasted beet ragout. For fall/winter, it comes with two kinds of beets, and is topped with fried beet ribbons and Maytag bleu cheese. Would be wrong not to also mention the ridiculous Boeuf Bourguinon Sully presented. Visited shortly after Valentine’s Day when Sully served prime ribeye steak among the specials. Some of those ribeyes went unused, so he chopped and changed them into bite-sized pieces and made a Bourguinon for the ages that will never be repeated. The Lamb T-Bones are here to stay.

5.       Strawberry Shortcake, The Hutch on Avondale

If there is a better iteration of this classic southern dessert anywhere on earth, please point me to it. Granny would be jealous!

6.       Tom Yum Dumplings, Et al (Tulsa)

Dumplings anchor one of only two menus available weekly from the chefs collective that operates out of Foolish Things Coffee in downtown Tulsa. For a Lunar New Year pop-up last month, they offered handmade dumplings filled with a variation of Tom Yum soup.

7.       Carrot Cake, La Baguette Bistro

Put simply: My favorite.

8.       Sesame Cake, The Crown

Chef Eric Smith recently rebranded his Nichols Hills restaurant from Pachinko to The Crown in order to clarify between it and the counter-service concept inside The Parlor food hall. Dropped by to check it out and fell into some Sesame Oil Cake with sesame seed caramelized condensed milk, Thai tea ice cream, and coffee-infused peanuts. A surprisingly balanced dessert, you’ll yearn for seconds.

9.       Seared Trout, NATV (Broken Arrow)

Chef Jacque Siegrfied earned a nomination for Best Chef Southwest for dishes like this one. NomNomNom.

10.   Tacos, Sushi Sonora Querida

Stopped in for “Mexican” sushi, stayed for the tidy dining room and the selection of tacos, including one with crunchy chicharron-wrapped frijoles.

Top Cocktail

Rosemary Ginger G&T, Bar Serra (Tulsa)

Sometimes it’s the simplest cocktails that hit the target, especially when their timing is right.